THE BACKGROUND

As often happens with growth of cities, conditions change and cemetery lands become no longer suitable for such a use. San Francisco and Chicago are prime examples. In 1921 the City of Reno made a determination that burial plots should no longer be sold in the Hillside Cemetery. Also, since no funding mechanism was in place for the care of the Hillside Cemetery, the cemetery kept falling further and further into disrepair and subject to vandalism and desecration. Some 50 years later in 1971, the City of Reno resolved to restore the cemetery by consolidating the southern portion to the northern portion of Hillside. In 1973, the State of Nevada authorized legislation for the restoration. Unfortunately, the original cemetery owner’s heirs came forward, chose to pay back taxes instead and the City of Reno was prevented from pursuing its plan for restoration. They later sold their interest. The cemetery is now owned by a private cemetery authority that is pleased to be able to bring the envisioned restoration project to fruition.

THE RESTORATION

The restoration will fulfill a vision that has been shared by the City of Reno, the State of Nevada, institutions and individuals dating back as early as the 1920’s. The restoration will be a privately funded consolidation of the cemetery to its northern section with appropriate monuments, memorials, fencing and financial provision for the cemetery’s ongoing care. The restoration is enabled by longstanding Nevada law and will be accomplished by archeologists and other professionals and experts experienced in such relocation and restoration projects.

NOTICE OF DETERMINATION FOR DISINTERMENT AND REMOVAL OF HUMAN REMAINS FROM A PART OF HILLSIDE CEMETERY FOR
REINTERMENT WITHIN HILLSIDE CEMETERY
NRS 451.069 – 451.330

Sierra Memorial Gardens, a Nevada corporation, is the owner of the Hillside Cemetery located on Washoe County Assessor Parcel Numbers (“APNs”) 007-330-59, 007-340-74 and 007-350-16 (the “Cemetery”) and defined as a “cemetery authority” under NRS 451.069 (the “Cemetery Authority”). The Cemetery has suffered and remains subject to countless acts of trespassing, vandalism, desecration and despoliation of gravesites and dumping of trash. Therefore, pursuant to NRS 451.070, the Cemetery Authority has determined that (i) the further maintenance of part of the Cemetery as a burial place for the human dead is not in accordance with the health, safety, comfort or welfare of the public, and (ii) financial provision must be made for future care of gravesites within a specified area of the Cemetery. Furthermore, the Cemetery Authority has ordered the disinterment from burial plots interred within APNs 007-340-74 and 007-350-16, and the reinterment from these burial plots within APN 007-330-59. The disinterment and reinterment shall take place on or after September 30, 2016.